XYZ-last of the ABC recipes

XYZ is for...... Christmas recipes, Yams  and Zest!

Above is the Olive Bread that Grace made.

It was very tasty! Thanks Grace!

This year I am trying out a variety of new recipes-

some are vegan and some vegetarian. We aren't

vegetarians per se, but we have found that the older

we get the less meat we eat the better we feel.

I am also including the revised Steamed Carrot Pudding

from my maternal Grandmother. No longer does it have

suet in it (yuck) -but just a bit of butter in place. Enjoy!

Merry Christmas everyone!

Quinoa Pilaf with Dried Cranberries

and Toasted Almonds

serves 3-4

1 T olive oil

4 scallions white and green parts separated

and thinly sliced

1 cup Quinoa rinsed and drained

2 cups low sodium veggie broth

1/3 cup dried cranberries

1/4 tsp salt or to taste

freshly ground black pepper

1/4 cup slivered toasted almonds

In medium nonstick skillet with a lid,

heat the oil over med heat. Add white parts

of onion and cook, stirring constantly for 1 min.

Add Quinoa and cook, stirring constantly

for 2 min until dry. Carefully add the broth,

cranberries, salt and pepper; bring to a boil

over high heat. Reduce heat to med low, cover

and simmer for about 20 min til liquid is asorbed.

Remove from heat, stir in almonds and reserved onion.

Cover and let stand for 5 min. Uncover and stir/toss

well to mix ingredients. Serve warm.

~~~~~~~~~~

Brown Rice and Lentils

serves 4-6

3 1/2 cups low sodium veggie broth

1/2 cup water

3/4 cup lentils rinsed and picked over

3/4 cup brown rice

2 T olive oil

1T onion powder

( I am using 1/4 finely chopped onion)

1/2 tsp garlic powder

(I am using 2 finely chopped cloves of garlic)

1/4 tsp salt

Freshly ground pepper to taste

In a medium pot bring all ingredients to a boil

over high heat. Reduce heat to med-low to low,

cover and simmer until rice/lentils are tender.

Stirring occasionally about 45 minutes.

~~~~~~~~~

Fiery Sweet Potatoes(Yams)

10-12 servings

Time about 2 hours

5 pounds sweet potatoes/yams

1 cup coconut milk

1T Thai red curry paste

1/2 c dark brown sugar

4 T unsalted butter

1 t salt

1. Heat oven to 375 F. Bake potatoes on a baking sheet

until very soft-about 1 hour. When cool enough to

handle, peel and mash.

2. Heat coconut milk with curry paste over low heat.

Mix coconut mixture, 1/2 the sugar, 1/2 the butter

and all the salt into the potatoes. Keep warm until

ready to serve or cover and refrigerate for up to 2 days.

3. At least 30 min before serving, 

heat oven to 425 degrees F.

Put potatoes into baking dish, 

cover with foil and bake for 20 min.

Uncover potatoes, dot with remaing butter and sugar and

broil until brown and crusty on top, checking often so

they do not burn!!!!

~~~~~~~~~~

Stuffed Winter Squash with Long Grain

and Wild Rice, Pecans and Cranberries

makes 4 main-dish servings

(or you can cut squash in 1/4's for 8 side sevings)

2 medium Delicata or Acorn squash- 1 1/2 pounds each

halved,seeds and membrane removed

1 T olive oil

1/2 cup chopped onion

2 T dry sherry

1 large garlic clove chopped

2 1/3 cup low sodium veggie broth

1 6oz package long-grain white and wild rice (3/4 cup)

(do not use seasoning packet)

1/2 cup dried cranberries

1/4 cup nuts* or sunflower seeds**

(*pecans,walnuts or slivered almonds)

(**use toasted sunflower seeds if some are allergic to nuts)

2 T chopped fresh Sage

1/2 tsp salt or to taste

Freshly ground black pepper

Pre-heat oven to 425F (220c)

cut a small slice on bottom of squash halves

to keep from wobbling. Place squash cut sides down

in a shallow dish just big enough to hold all

in a single layer. Add about 1/2 inch of water, cover

and bake for about 30-45 min til fork tender. Remove

from oven, pour off water and turn cut sides up. Set aside.

Reduce oven temp to 350F (175c)

While squash is baking heat oil over med heat in medium

sauce pan. Add onion and cook stirring til soft about 3 min,

 add sherry and garlic-increase heat to high-cook stirring constantly til sherry has evaporated about 1 min. 

Add the broth, rice mixture, cranberries,pecans

(sunflower seeds if allergic to nuts), 

sage,salt and pepper. 

Reduce heat to med-low to low and cover simmering

for appx 25-30 minutes. The rice shoould be moist not dry.

Remove, let stand overed 5 min. Uncover, fluff with fork.

At this point everything can be cooled

 and refrigerated up to 24 hours before

 continuing recipe. Do add 10 minutes or so

to final baking time. 

Mound equal amounts of rice into squash halves, bake uncovered until heated through appx 10 minutes.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Grandmothers Steamed Carrot Pudding

1 1/2 cups all purpose flour

1 T cinnamon

1/2 t each ground cloves and nutmeg

2 t soda

2 t salt

2 cups dark brown sugar

2 T melted butter

2 cups grated potatoes

2 cps grated carrots

2 cups chopped raisins or 1 cup each dates and raisins

1/2 cup hot water

Mis all dry ingredients in large bowl. Either hand grate or use

food processor for grating potatoes and carrots.

Chop raisins ( and I buy pre-chopped dates)and mix with

grated carrots and potatoes. Mix dry and wet ingredients together add hot water and melted butter 

and mix thoroughly. Put in well greased mold, 

cover with foil if it doesn't have a cover

and steam for 3 hours.*** see below for steaming

Serve with:

Hard Sauce 

1 and 1/2 cups powdered sugar
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
2 tablespoons brandy
1 teaspoon grated orange peel

( You don't have a mold? 

Use large 28 oz cans in place of a mold)

Leave at least 1 inch at top of mold to allow for rising.

***Place steamer rack in large pot. Place pudding mold on rack. If you don't have a rack place several canning rings to cover bottom of the pan. Fill pot with enough water to come halfway up sides of mold. Bring water to boil. Reduce heat to medium. Cover pot and steam pudding until tester inserted near center comes out clean, adding more boiling water as needed to maintain level, about 3 hours. Using oven mitts as aid, remove mold from pot. Uncover and let stand 10 minutes. Cut around top center and sides of pudding to loosen. Turn pudding out onto rack and cool 20 minutes. (Can be made 1 day ahead.) Cool completely. Return to mold; cover and chill. 

Resteam 45 minutes to heat through, then turn out of mold.) Transfer pudding to platter. Cut pudding into wedges; serve with the Hard sauce.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

ps: So, now you are asking- where's the Zest? 

Hah- the zest is in how you approach your life and your cooking... I'll take the zesty

approach to life and food. Spice it up! Happy New Year!

Read more:
 http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Gingerbread-Christmas-Pudding-with-Orange-Hard-Sauce-106022#ixzz18xemyL2v

R is for Rice and Shrimp Risotto...

I don't have any photos of my tasty Shrimp Risotto....

so will these photos of the latest completed

baby quilt do?

Just finished this for our good friend Tom's

first grandson....and he's mighty grand from what

Tom says!

Here's the recipe:

Shrimp Risotto

2-4 Main Course servings

5 cups (about) low salt chicken broth

3/4 cups dry white wine

1 or 1/2 pound uncooked large shrimp peeled/deveined

6 T butter

3/4 cups chopped onion

2 large cloves garlic minced

1/4 tsp dried red pepper flakes

1 1/2 cups arborio rice

3/4 cup dry white wine

3 T chopped fresh parsley

3/4 freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Bring broth and 1/4 cup of wine to simmer in medium pan

Reduce heat-keep hot

~

Melt 2 T of butter in medium skillet over medium heat

Add 1/2 the garlic and all the crushed red pepper, then shrimp

Saute til shrimp begins to turn pink-about 2 minutes

Add remaining 1/2 cup wine. Simmer another 2 minutes

Drain shrimp-set aside and reserve cooking liquid.

~

Melt remaining butter in heavy large saucepan over medium heat

Add onion and remaining garlic, saute til onion is pale golden,

about 4 min.

Add rice and stir to coat about 2 minutes, Add 2 cups broth mixture

Simmer til absorbed stirring often. Continue adding broth mixture

1 cup at a time until liquid is absorbed before adding more-

about 20 minutes.

Stir in reserved shrimp cooking liquid.

Cook until rice is just tender and

mixture is creamy about 5 more minutes.

Remove from heat.

~

Stir shrimp and chopped parsley into rice-season with salt and pepper.

Spoon into bowls and sprinkle

with Parmesan cheese according to your taste.

YUM.

Q is for Queen for a Day Cookies and Quilts

Our niece Jennifer is having a big family BBQ this Sunday

so I decided to make "Queen for a Day" cookies for the little

girls and One Eye Green Martian cookies for the boys.

I used a simple roll out cookie recipe from Joy Of Cooking...

They turned out pretty cute I think!

( these were inspired by a gift from Wyoming of the crown

cookie cutter along with a moose and bronco rider cookie cutters!

I'll get to those later on...)

Meanwhile, I finished the latest baby quilt going to

a cute little boy who has a chicken raising mother!

So of course I had to stick hens and chicks into the quilt!

and here's the recipe for the cookies! Enjoy!

P is for Pears and Pesto

Our neighbors up the street have fruit trees

and dropped off a bag o' pears a few days ago...

so I made a few pints of canned pears with ginger.

I just followed Joy Of Cooking's recipe for canned pears,

but added to each jar a nice piece of candied ginger...yum.

Meanwhile up in my veggie garden my Basil plants are resembling hedges-

So, here's my favorite Pesto recipe-

(it can be frozen as long as you don't add the cheese til defrosted)

~~~~~~~~~~~~

Paula and Jay's Pesto

2 cups fresh Basil

1 cup nuts

(pine,walnuts,even shelled sunflower seeds are tasty)

4 cloves garlic cut up

1 cup olive oil

1 cup parmesan,romano, asagio cheeses

(your choice-I like to mix 'em up a bit)

freshly ground black pepper

salt

(I don't use it, but some folks like it)

Put the basil, nuts and garlic into a food processor

Whirl/pulse til well acquainted

Add olive oil and process just til mixed.

Stir in cheese, black pepper and eat.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Goes great on bread, pasta but not canned pears.

(Well, maybe on canned pears, but I haven't tried that yet)

J is for Jicama and Q is for the latest Baby Quilt

Here's a photo of the latest baby quilt. I just finished it a few days

ago and it is on it's way to Berlin Germany.

Our neighbor up the street is flying there today to meet her

first grandchild-a darling little girl.

and here is the latest recipe for the ABC series:

Mexican Fruit "Gazpacho Salad"

6 servings

1 1/2 # papaya

3/4 # jicama

1 large mango

1 cucumber

1 orange

3 Tablespoons lime juice ( 1 squeezed lime should work)

1 teaspoon New Mexican chili powder or other medium hot chile

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

2 Tablespoons finely chopped cilantro

Peel and dice (and seed if necessary) the papaya, jicama, mango, cucumber and orange

Combine all the fruit in a serving dish. Mix the lime juice, chili and salt in a small bowl.

Pour over the fruit, add the cilantro and toss gently but well. Serve. YUM.

Refrigerate if not serving immediately.

Burnt Orange Ice Cream

Wow...this ice cream is unbelievably delicious! YUM.

The recipe is annoyingly tedious-BUT worth the effort:

Bill Gross's Burnt Orange Ice Cream
(thanks to www.epicurious.com)

INGREDIENTS:
FOR THE ORANGES:
2 1/2 cups granulated sugar
4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature
2 large navel oranges (each about 6 ounces)

FOR THE ICE CREAM:
3 cups heavy (whipping) cream
2/3 cup half-and-half
Seeds scraped from 1 vanilla bean (see Note, below), or 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
2 large egg yolks

PREPARATION:
1. One day ahead, prepare the oranges: Position a rack in the center of the oven, and preheat the oven to 450°F.

2. Place 1/2 cup of the sugar on a plate. Rub the butter over the oranges, then roll them in the sugar.

3. Pour the unused sugar from the plate into an 8-inch square baking pan, and shake it around to cover the bottom of the pan. Place the oranges in the pan and bake, moving them around once to break up any unmelted sugar, until they start to color and some of the sugar in the pan starts to melt, 15 to 20 minutes.

4. Remove the pan from the oven (leaving the oven on), and using tongs and a sharp knife, carefully quarter the oranges. Place the quarters, skin side up, in the baking pan and bake until the peel is dark brown, about 35 minutes. Let the orange quarters cool slightly.

5. Remove the peel from 4 of the browned quarters, discarding the pulp. Leave the other 4 quarters intact.

6. Combine the orange peel, the 4 intact quarters, the sugar from the pan, and the remaining 2 cups sugar in a food processor, and puree. Strain the puree into a container, cover it, and refrigerate for at least 8 hours. This is the part that annoyed me as I asked my self
"STRAIN THE PUREE? The puree was a thick sticky mass/mess, but I dutifully put it in a small strainer,spooning it slowly while pressing out the juices with a wooden spoon. I ended up after all that having about a cup of puree. The rest I put into a small bowl to use for making cookies later this week. No way am I wasting that!
7. The next day, prepare the ice cream mixture: Place the orange puree in a saucepan over medium-low heat, and bring it to a simmer.

8. While the orange puree is heating, whisk the cream, half-and-half, vanilla seeds, and egg yolks together in a large bowl. Then, whisking constantly, slowly add the hot orange puree. Let the mixture cool to room temperature, and then refrigerate it until it is cold, 3 to 4 hours.

9. Freeze the mixture in an ice-cream maker according to the manufacturer’s instructions. I used my Donvier Ice Cream Maker-so old it was Made in Japan!

10. Transfer the ice cream to a container, cover, and store in the freezer until ready to serve.

 

Note:

• Don’t throw away those scraped-out vanilla beans! Place them in a large jar, add 4 to 6 cups granulated sugar, cover the jar, and let it sit for 3 weeks to create vanilla sugar. As you use the sugar, keep adding more to the jar. The beans will keep indefinitely.         

ABC recipe: H is for Hominy

I must be totally honest with this posting....

I have not made this recipe.....yet!

But-I have eaten this many times at Bill and Ewana's home and in Mexico.

And so, since we are off to faraway places I am posting this now....enjoy!

It is delicious!

Pork and Hominy Stew
(Pozole Rojo)

Who said you can only enjoy a good rich stew in the depths of winter? Born in the hot climate of Mexico, this melt-in-your-mouth pork and red-chile dish also makes a satisfying but not-too-filling end to a warm summer day.

Yield: Makes 8 to 10 servings
Active Time: 1 1/2 hr
Total Time: 2 1/2 hr

Ingredients
For pozole:
1 large head garlic
4 lb country-style pork ribs (not lean)
12 cups cold water
4 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth (32 fl oz)
1 teaspoon dried oregano (preferably Mexican), crumbled
6 dried New Mexico or guajillo red chiles* (2 oz)
1 1/2 cups boiling-hot water
1 cup coarsely chopped white onion (1 large)
1 tablespoon salt
4 (15-oz) cans white hominy (also called pozole), drained and rinsed

Accompaniments: fried tortilla strips (see cooks' note, below); 1/2-inch cubes of California avocado; thinly sliced cabbage or lettuce; chopped white onion; chopped radishes; lime wedges; crumbled dried oregano (preferably Mexican); dried hot red pepper flakes

Preparation:

Peel garlic and reserve 2 whole cloves, then slice remaining cloves. Combine sliced garlic, pork, water, and broth in a 7- to 8-quart heavy pot and bring to a boil, skimming froth. Add oregano, then reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, skimming occasionally, until pork is very tender, about 1 1/2 hours.

Meanwhile, discard stems from chiles (do not seed), then soak in boiling-hot water (1 1/2 cups) in a bowl, turning occasionally, until softened, about 30 minutes (do not drain). Purée chiles with soaking water, onion, 2 teaspoons salt, and reserved garlic cloves in a blender until smooth, about 1 minute.

Transfer pork with tongs to a large bowl, reserving broth in pot. Shred pork, using 2 forks (discard bones). Return pork to broth, then add hominy, chile purée, and remaining teaspoon salt and simmer, uncovered, skimming froth and stirring occasionally, 30 minutes. Season with salt. 3Serve pozole in shallow bowls with accompaniments.

*Available at Latino markets and kitchenmarket.com.


Cooks' notes:
· Pozole can be made 3 days ahead and cooled completely, uncovered, then chilled, covered. Reheat over moderately high heat, stirring occasionally, until stew comes to a boil. · To make fried tortilla strips, halve 8 (6-inch) soft corn tortillas and cut crosswise into 1/4-inch-thick strips. Fry in 3 batches in 1/2 inch of hot oil in a 12-inch heavy skillet over moderately high heat, stirring occasionally with a slotted spoon, until golden, 2 to 4 minutes per batch. Transfer with slotted spoon to paper towels to drain. Tortilla strips can be made 1 day ahead and cooled completely, then kept in an airtight container at room temperature.